Unwanted Mates

Chapter 16

Everly quickly reached altitude and raced toward the vast column of smoke in the distance. Many in the clan tried to avoid assisting with wildfires, but Everly enjoyed it. It gave her a chance to fly and enjoy the scenery. It also made her happy that, as the daughter of the Dragon Lord, she was aiding the clan.

“Hey, Evvs! Slow down, and let me get beside you. Your sparkles are blinding me,” Kevin laughed in her head.

Everly giggled as she slowed down, “Fine! But you need to learn to fly faster.”

“You are just like your dad,” Kevin laughed. “Do you need to go for a swim to charge your water-breathing awesomeness?”

“It looks like the lake is pretty close to the fire, and on our way there. On our way there, I will skim the lake while you get a mouth full of water. If it stays small, I might not need to recharge. It looks like we caught it early. So, hopefully, this one won’t be as bad as the last one.”

“That was a bad one. The winds were just right to push it in every direction. Thankfully, today, the winds are almost nothing. That’s in our favor, which is good because we are on our own for a little while.”

“Dad said there is a hiker up here somewhere. Are we doing a search and rescue along with fire extinguishing?” Everly asked.

“If he needs it. He is some high-ranking guy from a company that wants to work with us in the timber industry. Jules did the paperwork on him, and I didn’t bother to go over it in detail,” Kevin sighed. “I have learned my lesson on that one. It would be nice to remember his name, at least.”

“If we see him, you can introduce yourselves,” Everly laughed. “Let’s get the water we need and get a move on. I want to get back to the hospital to be with Lia and Will and help with Isla if she needs it.”

Kevin’s dragon gave a low, rumbling chuckle. Most werewolves and dragons were closely bonded with their families. There were times when he thought Everly got a double dose as both werewolf and dragon. Here, the parents were the same. Olivia and Tyson would give their lives for any of their family members. Everly was the same and went further. She extended that need to protect everyone in the clan and pack within Obsidian.

When they reached the lake, Everly took the lead, gliding along the water, allowing her belly to break the surface. As she flapped her mammoth wings, the tips would dip into the water. That combination allowed her to absorb the water she needed to fight the fire.

Kevin grinned as he followed behind Everly’s dragon. As they reached the midway point, Kevin opened his mouth and began scoping water into his mouth and throat. Everly always teased him, saying he looked like a pelican when he did that. The skin under a dragon’s chin could expand exponentially, allowing him to carry large quantities of water to fight fires.

Everly gracefully arched back into the sky as they neared the lake shore closest to the fire, with Kevin right behind her. They could now see the fire and the direction it was traveling. The winds were minimal but still pushing it toward an area filled with fir trees. If it reached those, it could be disastrous.

Everly said, “Let’s get in front of it and try to stop it from spreading. Then we can work on putting it out. That will also give you plenty of time to get water as you need it.”

“That works for me,” Kevin said. “I’ll take the left. You take the right.”

“Got it.”

Kevin and Everly split and arced around the fire to get in front of it. They began on the outer edges, dousing and extinguishing the flames with the water they carried. They made their way along the leading edge of the fire. Kevin had run out of water approximately a third of the way across the fireline, leaving Everly to finish while he went to the lake for more water.

When Everly finished with the front fireline, she made a pass through the steam that had been created to recharge her supplies. Afterward, she quickly began to work her way back into the fire. On the second pass, Everly sprayed water over the land, this time seeing something she had never seen before. She swooped back over it to get a better look.

In the middle of a charred patch of ground, there was a perfect circle. Within it, the earth was still green and untouched by flames. Everly sent a gentle mist of water over the area to see it hit some type of invisible dome.

“Kevin! You need to see this! There is some kind of dome in the middle of the fire. What is inside of it is untouched. I will keep working on the flames so we can land and check it out,” Everly said.

“A dome?! What the frack would that be?” Kevin blurted her out.

“Why are you asking me? You are the head of security. I’m just a lowly geologist,” Everly laughed.

Kevin sighed, “Just keep an eye on it as you go. Whatever that is might be a problem.”

“You got it,” Everly said as she cut the link.

She and Kevin continued to make pass after pass, soaking the ground to ensure every ember was extinguished. The last thing they wanted was for it to rekindle in the middle of the night and put someone in danger. When they were satisfied the fire was out, they swooped down over the dome to get a better look at what it was.

“There is someone inside that dome,” Everly said. “Do you know of anyone who could do something like that?”

“Not that I can recall,” Kevin answered. “Let me land first. If anything happened to you, your father would roast me alive… right after your mother’s wolf took a chunk out of my backside.”

Everly laughed, but she knew Kevin was right. Her parents were fiercely protective of her and her brother and sister. Her mother’s wolf, Raine, was known to bite when she felt she had cause. Everly was convinced that Kevin was more afraid of her diminutive mother’s nonranking werewolf mother than her impressive Dragon Lord father.

She watched as Kevin landed beside the dome. Within seconds, Everly saw the area shimmer. Moments after that, Kevin’s voice popped into her head.

“Go ahead and land. This is the guest who was hiking and scouting out part of our forest to potentially combine efforts on a contract,” Kevin said in her head.

Everly internally sighed as she made a circle to land. She drifted to the ground, shifting back into her human form, inched above the ground. That allowed her to gracefully walk to Kevin and save a few seconds between landing and shifting.

A man stood before Kevin, whom she did not recognize yet was captivated by him. He was tall and thin with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair. His eyes were vibrant sky blue and glistened in the sunlight. When he turned to look at Everly, he furrowed his brow and frowned.

“What are you?” the man asked Everly, not taking his eyes off her.

“That is none of your business, and I could ask you the same question. What are you, and how did you put some protective dome over yourself while you let everything else burn? Are you the one who set the fire?” Everly demanded.

“Of course, I did not set the fire! There was dry lightning in the area not long ago which set the fire. What I am is no concern of yours. I am here on the authority of Emery Technologies. That is all you need to know,” the man told her.

“Well, aren’t you just a bundle of sunshine?” Everly asked sarcastically, unimpressed by the man’s attitude.

Kevin snorted at Everly’s comment and waited for the man to give his retort.

“I am Everly Emery. Tyson Emery is my father. The man beside me is Kevin Emery, the head of security for Emery Technologies and the community of Obsidian. That means we have all the right in the world to ask you who and what you are when you are within the territory of the Obsidian Clan or Pack.”

“My name is Ashton Barnes. My father is the owner and CEO of Barnes Forestry. He and Tyson are considering a joint venture, and my father sent me to look at part of the site they want to use. Now, back to my question: what are you? I have been around many dragons and werewolves, and you are something different. What is it?”

Everly studied the man before her as she thought of how to answer. Her family had decided long ago to hide the fairy magic they possessed. This man had seen her dragon breathe water and knew she was not the average dragon, even for the daughter of a Dragon Lord.

She looked at her cousin Kevin, who only shrugged his shoulders at her. Kevin was often very helpful, but this was not one of those times. As she opened her mouth to reply to the man, her nostrils were met with the tantalizing aroma of lavender, ferns, and fresh pine boughs.

“Mate,” River said as she stood at attention in Everly’s mind. “Ashton is our mate.”

Everly shook her head and scowled at Ashton. She was happy and did not want to deal with a mate. If he insisted that she leave Obsidian, she would reject him. She had seen what it had done to her brother, but she would rather have that than be forced to leave her home and the work she loved.

Ashton did not understand why Everly was glowering at him like she was. He studied her as the wind shifted and carried the magnificent scent of stream and waterlilies to him. Ashton felt his heart skip a beat as the fragrance of his mate filled him. He would admit he was already enamored with the woman before him, but for her to be his mate was something he had never expected.

Kevin waved his hand and said, “Um… would one of you like to say something?”

“River says he’s my mate,” Everly spat.

“Your mate?!” Kevin exclaimed. “This is how I die. I have to tell your father you have a mate, and he is going to incinerate me. When he does, tell Anna that I love her and the kids. Also, tell your dad that he will be responsible for the fey dragon support since it feels like half of them live in or at my house.”

“Dad won’t incinerate you. Ashton is the one who needs to worry,” Everly said, still frowning at Ashton.

“Are you going to reject me,” Ashton asked.

“Not yet, but we need to talk. I know what I want in my life. I’m just not sure that includes you. Kevin, do you want to give him a ride back to Obsidian?” Everly asked.

“You know, I would, but I think you and your mate need to bond a little. If he gets out of line, I will help you hide his body,” Kevin chuckled.

Before Everly could object, Kevin shifted and took flight. She sighed and dropped her head. She did not like the idea, but Kevin was right; she did not want to learn more about Ashton.

Everly looked at him and said, “Kevin is right. We do need to get to know each other better. The first thing I would like to know is how you made that dome. Are you a witch?”

“No. I’m not a witch,” Ashton laughed. “I’m a fairy.”